Night Post
Sort each parcel to Local or Away by working out the hidden rule, and notice when it changes.
Logic & reasoning · All ages
Sort each parcel by its stamp, and watch for the rule to change.
About this game
Night Post is a rule-learning game. Parcels arrive with stamps, and you sort them to Local or Away. Nobody tells you the sorting rule: you learn it from the feedback, and it quietly changes partway through.
It is inspired by the Wisconsin card sorting test, a famous way to study cognitive flexibility. It asks you to find a rule, use it, then notice when it stops working and find a new one.
How to play
- Look at the stamp on each parcel and choose Local or Away.
- Use the feedback to work out the sorting rule.
- Watch for the rule to change and adapt when it does.
Tips
- Watch for a stamp that no longer fits the old rule.
- After a wrong answer, don't give up on the rule at once: check whether the rule itself has changed.
- Keep your choices consistent so you can tell what the feedback is telling you.
How it adapts
Kids get simpler rules and more parcels per rule. Teens and adults see faster changes and rules with more possibilities. The difficulty adjusts to how you play.
Questions
How do I know the rule?
You learn it from whether your answers are marked right or wrong. That feedback is the only clue you get.
Why does the rule change?
Noticing the change and switching to a new rule is the skill the game practises.
Is guessing a good plan?
Not really. Each phase is balanced so that guessing does no better than chance.
The research behind it
The Wisconsin card sorting test has been used for decades to study cognitive flexibility. Getting better at this game shows you are better at this game's kind of rule-switching; we make no wider promise.
